(Image via Pixabay.) For whatever reason these two things are stuck to each other in my mind. Make of that what you will. “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man... Read more
(image via Pixabay) My friend just said his son has been taken to the hospital, not breathing. Please say a prayer to Saint Blaise for him! Thank you very much! Updated 10/1 at 12:oo AM: I am heartbroken to say that baby Joseph died this afternoon. Please keep the family in your prayers. Read more
(image via Pixabay) It was a couple of years ago now, in Autumn. I’d just finished grocery shopping, and I had to take the last bus home. This was a daunting thought– that bus was driven by the driver I always avoided, the one I privately called “The Nazi” and my husband called “Old Scratch.” He was a pasty-white man with a gruff voice, a shaved head and a pair of reflective sunglasses; in the early mornings, he always blasted the... Read more
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) I’d forgotten it’s Michaelmas, the feast of the Archangels, in the Western Church today. I’m so busy learning about Eastern feasts, sometimes things slip. It’s hard to write about Saint Michael. He’s always been around, so ubiquitous everywhere I’ve gone that I don’t know how to pick him out of the background half the time. Back on the Planet Charismatic, my mother used to carry around a holy card of Saint Michael in case of... Read more
(image via Pixabay) Lately, when I can’t sleep at night, I go for walks by myself. I live in a crowded little steel-mill town, a conglomeration of houses rather than a community. When it was prosperous, working class families bought pre-cut houses from Sears and Roebuck and built them on tiny little lots. Now that it’s poor, the families have gone. Half the houses stand derelict, doors nailed shut or hanging open like rotten teeth, man-made caves for the stray... Read more
(image via Pixabay) Let’s say you needed to move a fridge full of beer, and you needed to move it quick. Let’s say you had a fridge all stocked up with icy-cold beer for this evening’s game, but suddenly your power went out. Now, let’s say that your friend Charlie offered to help you move the beer to his house and watch the game over there, but his house is pretty far away and the beer might get warm in transit, so... Read more
(image via Pixabay) I watched the presidential debate. I’m still not sure why I did it. I watched a guy try to insult a gal for an hour and a half before telling her that she has no stamina. I watched a bespectacled African-American moderator calmly tell a white guy that Stop and Frisk is unconstitutional, and cheered. I dislike both of those candidates immensely. I disagree with both of them on many things. I could go on for pages and... Read more
(image via Pixabay) I’m on an Eastern Countries kick lately. Want to hear about the first time I ever heard of Russia? It was called the Soviet Union in those days. I heard about it on PBS, from Mister Rogers. In 1988, you see, Mr. Rogers went to the Soviet Union, to guest host an episode of the Russian children’s program “Good Night, Little Ones.” He recorded the visit for his television neighbors at home; I was four. I watched... Read more
(image via Pixabay) Lately, my curiosities have drifted East. I go to the Byzantine Catholic church now, and I’ve visited the beautiful formerly Russian Orthodox church near my house. I want to learn all about Ukraine and Russia and fascinating places like that. I’ve started Russian and Ukrainian lessons on Duolingo. I’m also keen to learn Russian and Ukrainian recipes to serve on special days. Thankfully, Chef Google is here to help. The only thing I’d know previously about Eastern cuisine was... Read more
(image via Pixabay) I enjoy a good horror film. I like the aesthetics of a well-crafted scare, and I like the truths that horror films tell. Life can be dreadful, and in order to cope with that, people need a certain amount of dread and even despair peppering the art they consume. It would be a terrible thing if all art was horror, but I believe scary stories are an important part of the healthy literary diet. And I am a big... Read more
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